Lussi pushes for turbines on Whiteface
By MIKE LYNCH, Enterprise Outdoors WriterArticle Photos
The idea of wind turbines on state-owned ski resorts in the Adirondack Park has not gained much public support, or even consideration, but state Adirondack Park Agency commissioner Art Lussi wants to change that.
Lussi, a Lake Placid resident whose family owns the Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, has made it his personal mission recently to bring the idea up after APA meetings and to petition his fellow commissioners on the subject. He believes that places such as Whiteface Mountain Ski Center in Wilmington, which already has substantial development in the form of chairlifts and lodges, plus wide ski trails cut into the mountain, should also be considered as a location for wind turbines. Lussi says that the turbines would reduce the cost of electricity while providing green energy.
Of course, it would have to be proposed by the Olympic regional Development Authority, which runs Whiteface and Gore ski centers, but the APA would have to review the proposal.
"If we delicately locate some windmills, it would be an unbelievable way to help pay for the power that we need to make snow and run the lifts," Lussi said.
Ski resorts such as Whiteface Mountain have tremendous electricity bills. Whiteface General Manager Bruce McCulley said that in months such as January, the facility's electricity bill can be more than $300,000, mainly because of snowmaking and lifts.
McCulley said he would support the idea of a wind turbine on the mountain, but that there would be many issues to consider prior to it being a serious proposal.
"There's quite a few factors that have to be involved - economic, environmental and all of that," McCulley said. "Absolutely, if it works for us, I would be (in support of it)."
McCulley said it's not a new idea. About eight to 10 years ago, wind turbines were considered in the preliminary stages of the Whiteface Mountain Intensive Use Unit Management Plan, but were taken out before they were seriously considered.
"I think that was before the energy concerns, so it probably wasn't something that was going to go at that point in time," McCulley said. "Now, it's possible that we'd look into it again, but we'd have to look into it through the unit management planning process."
Whiteface's unit management plan was adopted in 2004, and it is due for an update, a process which could start this spring.
Because of current energy concerns and changes in wind turbine technology, the idea could gain more support this time around. And it's already a practice at other ski centers. One of those is in Vermont, where construction of the first wind turbine was completed this month at Bolton Valley, about 20 miles east of Burlington.
Bolton Valley is owned by Doug Nedde and Larry Williams, co-owners of Redstone, a full-service Vermont commercial real estate firm which is located in Burlington.
"Their long-term vision is building things sustainable and being as green as they can with anything at Bolton Valley," said Josh Arneson, director of marketing at Bolton Valley. "The wind tower goes into their overall vision of trying to be more sustainable."
The wind turbine at Bolton Valley is small in comparison to commercial ones in places such as Chateaugay, where turbines tower above the trees at nearly 400 feet. The Bolton Valley wind turbine is 121 feet tall from the ground to the top of the tower, and 156 feet at the tip of a vertical blade.
The wind turbine is expected to produce about 300,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, or the equivalent of the power needed for 40 to 50 homes, annually, according to the ski center. Arneson said it is expected to pay one-eighth of the resort's electricity bill this year.
The combination of relatively small wind turbines and the potential for generating low-cost electricity is why Lussi thinks wind energy could be a good fit for state-owned ski resorts. That's why he says he's going to continue supporting the idea.
"I know that management has been interested," Lussi said about Whiteface. "They've been subtly told, 'Don't waste your time.' That's why I am going to keep bringing it up, because I feel like I philosophically have to change the (APA) board's opinion."
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Contact Mike Lynch at (518) 891-2600 ext. 28 or mlynch@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
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LeahADK
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12-04-09 11:18 PM
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I have high hopes for this plan that puts small-scale "point of use energy generation systems" where most people live: in cities. "Microgrids: A $2.1B market in the making?" October 2009 article: *******green.venturebeat****/2009/10/29/microgrids-a-21b-market-in-the-making/ Yes, and I lament the ruination of the formerly-gorgeous rural views in Ellenburg, Chateaugay, Churubusco, just outside the NE blue line... That power is going to NYC where it is being wasted, and where people love large-scale industrial wind and have no idea what it's doing to the countryside and to rural communities.
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LeahADK
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12-04-09 10:34 PM
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As the fine individual you (business) describe, Mr. Lussi deserves to continue to learn and grow. "Wise men change their minds when they grow wiser." Here Mr. Lussi has a chance to become a model leader, fighting for a solution that conserves energy and serves all stakeholders (except the wind industry developers). I'm here to champion the ADKs' precious tagline, Forever Wild. Especially in overdeveloped areas like Lake Placid, we need to safeguard against further industrial inroads. Reduce - reuse - recycle.
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contrary1
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12-01-09 12:26 PM
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In my reality, NYS voters recently approved a constitutional amendment to make the new transmission lines running from Parishville to LP legal. Isn't there a bridge issue too? My wife went to high school in Hinsdale NH, within sight of the Yankee nuclear power plant. It's deteriorated to the point where it's no longer usable. Do you honestly think it's only our bridges that have been allowed to decay? What part of "we don't need no stinkin' regulations", don't you understand? Pragmatically speaking, point of use energy generation systems would lighten the overall grid load. If we can go from Texas Instruments calculators to IPhones in 30 years, we can make wind and solar generation systems that are affordable to the enlightened public. Research the effect environmental regulations had on the maintenance of nuclear facilities through the 80's and 90's Outlaw...and using point of use windmills won't make the world end either.
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business
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11-30-09 8:25 PM
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Art Lussi is a hardworking intelligent man. Far from a spoiled brat, he is frugal and thrifty. He volunteers a lot of his time. Only someone with jealousy and a sour grapes attitude can fault him for carrying on with the family business. A family, I will add, that is made up of hardworking, hard nosed, smart people.
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Outlaw63446
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11-30-09 7:42 PM
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Contrary1 - So the Iphone is your example of the type of opportunity that we have missed while we were finding cheaper ways to drill for oil? Apparently you are an expert on nuclear power plants as well. Precisely what new technologies did they fail to take advantage of? As far as our "deteriorating system" goes, what the heck are you talking about? What's deteriorating? Power poles? Wires? Electrical generators? What? Someone has sold you a bill of goods to put you in panic mode. They find that you are much more likely to accept this nonsense if you are afraid the sky will fall. Do yourself a favor. Take a deep breath. Try to relax. Everything is fine, the world is not ending. Just understand that these windmills are an ineffective, dumb idea, and building them will add to the problem, not solve it.
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hamlethome
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11-30-09 4:44 PM
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cell towers aren't tall enough, what makes you think a wind turbine will go up on whiteface?
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deedeejr
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11-30-09 2:48 PM
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All should read Adirondack Green by Dr John Slade to learn about the real potential of wind power in the Adirondacks.
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AeroDoc
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11-30-09 12:18 PM
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OK - so all that excellent work in preserving the Bicknell's Thrush habitat during the Lookout Mountain expansion will all be for naught, for these little birdies will all be smashed to pieces by these windmills as they try to migrate in or out of their upper mountain habitat, not to mention several other species of birds. Experience in TX and CA have shown these windmills to be voracious bird killers.
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contrary1
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11-30-09 10:01 AM
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...would lighten the load on our deteriorating system. This is a matter of individual responsibility as much as anything else. I'm not talking huge commercial windfarms here, I'm talking about a society that has no problem buying a new $35,000 SUV every three years, but won't make a $25,000 investment to secure energy independance for decades. We're more willing to spend it in Vegas than getting off the grid. Innovation comes with utilization. Conspicuously placed windmills where investor class people are likely to see them, will promote interest and sensitize them to the fact that they can take steps individually. Bush's ranch in Crawdad Texas was off the grid, while Gore was buying carbon credits instead. Something about that ain't right. Investor class enviros need to understand that if they have the resources, they should accept their individual responsibility to utilize existing green technology the way Bush did. Sticking a windmill on their ski trail might be a good reminder.
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contrary1
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11-30-09 9:42 AM
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From 1978 continuing well into the 2000's, the United States Government gave billions to coal and oil companies, the bulk of our alternative energy research budget, to create alternative energy programs. What have we gotten for our billions over 30 years? Wars for oil, "drill baby drill", and an oxymoron called 'clean coal'. During the same period of time we've seen incredible leaps in technological advancement almost everywhere else. Ever see the Iphones? The old "It's too Expensive to Try" argument promoted by opponents in the 70's, is still being used to block the utilization of wind and solar today. To a lot of us, it's now become evident that it's more expensive if we don't try. BTW, I don't think nuclear power had a plant go online in decades either. They refused to utilize modern environmental technology, then let them deterioriate. VT Yankee is a wreck, and Three Mile Island too. Point of use wind and solar for state projects whenever possible, would lighte
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TourPro
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11-30-09 7:23 AM
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Yes, reduce or eliminated power demand first, BEFORE making fashionably-foolhardy suggestions for more supply. If it is all about "sufficiency", then the whole model for Whiteface, ORDA, and State-ownership of recreational facilities becomes an issue.
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LeahADK
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11-30-09 1:38 AM
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Art Lussi, your "energy concerns" should trigger you to REDUCE energy use at Whiteface, NOT ADD industrial turbines to support energy wastefulness. Until and unless you have worked HARD to reduce energy use to a minimum and to eliminate energy waste, this industrial wind turbine idea is irresponsible at best. You should review and retool/replace noisy motors (noise comes from friction which means inefficiency which means wasted energy). Rethink and retool all lighting. Stop wasteful "standby power." Another reason I don't want industrial wind at Whiteface: it sets a precedent for the ADKs at large. I want to see micro-wind in cities, not gigantic turbines in rural areas. I don't know how it'll work but energy has got to be where the people are, not in all the beautiful rural windy places of the world.
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YouKnowImRight
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11-29-09 8:08 PM
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Seriously- the answer is Nuclear power.
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YouKnowImRight
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11-29-09 8:07 PM
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The answer my friends, is blowin' in the wind......
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drummer
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11-29-09 6:23 PM
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What a wonderful idea. Put windmills on top of all the mountains in the Adirondacks? The park is becoming the creative whipping boy/girl for a free for all. The Park is there for recreation and study and a place to get away from it all. We already have cell phone use on top of most of the mountains. w Were do we go in the future to find peace and tranquility? I am in favor of change and technology, but what kind of mess are we leaving for future generations. Just and example: I was fishing in a very quite resort this year on the dock and hooked a finghting small mounth bass only to hear as I am reeling it in,southern voice on a cell phone behind me screeching to someone about the large bullhead I was catching. It's a wonderful life.
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dalemi21
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11-29-09 3:32 PM
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I'm just curious, if man were around in the age of dinosaurs would we have tried to save them from extinction; something that was destined to happen?!
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NativeTransplant
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11-29-09 12:50 PM
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"Unless you subscribe to the College of Al Gore..." Classic. Well, better to get a minor in Al Gore-ism than a major in Dinosaurism.
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grizzlyadam
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11-29-09 9:18 AM
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Lussi - a smart business man?? Ha. This guy is a spoiled rich guy who lives off his parents wealth,
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Outlaw63446
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11-29-09 8:38 AM
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Uh, what's wrong with the environment? Seems fine to me. In fact, by any measure, it has gotten better over the last ten years. However, unless you subscribe to the College of Al Gore, we are not in any particular jeopardy. No need to run around like chickens to solve a problem that does not exist. By the way, wind power does not replace any core power that is generated, it only supplements the grid during peak periods. But our taxes provide them subsidies 100% of the time.
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NativeTransplant
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11-28-09 11:08 PM
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Wind power is going to be expensive for a while, granted. But the taxpayer subsidies for wind energy aren't going away -- they're just getting started. What some people may not take into account is that 1) even if this project is approved today, won't be finished for like 10 years, at which point we might be able to store energy, and 2) if we don't start using renewable energy now, the environment isn't gonna get magically better in the next 10 years.
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logical
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11-28-09 8:46 PM
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"of course it would have to be proposed by ORDA", but hey wait a minute, dads on the board of said institution.........
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Outlaw63446
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11-28-09 7:33 PM
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The Failure in Chief stated - "invoking new technologies, such as wind, would necessarily cause electricity rates to SKYROCKET". It's better to pay skyrocketing energy costs just so we can be green. God I'm sick of that phony term.
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Outlaw63446
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11-28-09 7:29 PM
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"the arguements that caused us to lose 30 years of green technological advancement" - BS. Back it up with facts, or retract it. Just a bunch of generalized nonsense. C'mon - back it up with some examples.
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FishCric
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11-28-09 10:30 AM
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KemoSabe - I want to buy green stock and sell right before the government subsidies run out. shuss
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FishCric
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11-28-09 10:24 AM
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KemoSabe - I want to buy green stock and sell right before the government subsidies run out. shuss
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